It’s Finally Here! Meet The 2016 Acura NSX

Posted by: Kenny Chan onJanuary 12th, 2015

After first showing a concept three years ago here at the same Detroit Auto Show, known as the North American International Auto Show, Acura has finally lifted the veil off the production version of the 2016 Acura NSX. The new hybrid powered supercar is the new halo car for the brand, and while production numbers will be limited, the hope is that every one will want one.

First things first, as you can see from the pictures it actually doesn’t look too far off from the last NSX concept that Acura showed off. The front lower fascia is pretty bang on, but is now shown off in a beautiful two toned finish. The low profile grille looks to be unchanged as well from the concept and the headlights have been given the trademark jewel eye Acura look. The large airvents atop the hood are much larger and were necessitated by the amount of heat put out by the twin turbos.

Down the side the vent behind the door has actually been flared out a bit more and extended slightly lower. Usually going from a concept to production, design elements like these are toned down a bit, not the other way around but it is a welcome change and gives the NSX a much more appealing look from the side. Out back, the rear end styling however has been toned down ever so slightly with the side exhausts replaced with a center mounted quad pipe setup. In it’s place are a set of LED rear foglights. The taillights look completely identical to the concept version, with a cleaner looking reverse light insert.

“Our commitment was to create an all-new NSX that is true to the heritage of NSX—a supercar that delivers a new driving experience, one where every part of the vehicle is respectful of the smartest part of the car, the driver,” said Mike Accavitti, senior vice president and general manager of the Acura division. “The soul of a car is the emotional connection it makes with the driver. With the NSX, that connection will be intense and immediate.”

Under the hood, my guess of just over 550 horsepower seems bang on. The twin turbo V6 along with its three motor electrical power unit will be mated to a 9-speed DCT transmission. Compared to the concept version, the production NSX was lengthened by about 3 inches and widened by about 1 inch to accommodate the longitudinally mounted twin-turbo V6. Although to be honest, I wouldn’t have noticed without being told.

So was it worth the wait? As much as I’ve made fun of Acura for constantly hyping up the NSX, what they call a “New Sports eXperience”, yeah overall while the NSX isn’t as awesome as the original it is still a welcome addition to the currently boring Acura lineup. The NSX can’t really go wrong (aside from pricing) and even then I am sure every single one that is produced will be spoken for well before they arrive. We’ll post more details as soon as we hear about them, but in the mean time feast your eyes on more shots we’ve included in the gallery.